Does the Camera Love You?

Are you a model, want to be a model or love the camera? If you answered “yes” then you are probably in the minority of brides and grooms; most dread the thought of being photographed. But it doesn’t have to be that way! The best way to get great photos and feel comfortable is to get to know your photographer and vice versa. The best way to do this is with a pre-wedding shoot and it’s a simple concept. You organize a shoot with your photographer before the wedding and if done right, it is an integral part of the wedding photography structure.

So, you’re struggling with the concept of another expense to an already costly exercise. Not true! Many photographers will have the pre-wedding shoot already included in the package. You can choose if you would like to purchase prints or not. Many couples actually choose to make a signature book out of their pre-wedding shoot. This is a beautifully printed photo book with images from the pre-wedding shoot printed on paper that guests can write their well wishes on at the reception.

From a photographer’s point of view, the main aim of the pre-wedding shoot is to get to know the couple better, what makes them tick, how they interact as a couple and how their individual personalities combine. This gives us great insight into what the wedding will be like, how to approach the day and in the end, capture the wedding to best suit the couple. Personally, we do all our shoots outdoors, at a location of the couple’s choice. This helps them feel at ease and is great if they want to include kids or their pets into the session. We have photographed a couple at their family farm because they have an emotional attachment to it and we have a shoot coming up at an airfield as they both love airplanes. So pretty much anything goes, we just make sure we have a good time and get some fun casual images.

So when you are going through the process of choosing a wedding photographer take into consideration the benefits of doing a pre-wedding shoot. If you’re not sure if you should book someone before the shoot, you will definitely know afterwards!  I will leave you with a lovely email we got from a couple after their pre wedding shoot, and it was the shoot that confirmed their booking!

” Hi Johl and Sarah,
Just wanted to thank you both for Monday night. Vin and I had such a great time, and are so excited that you will be our photographer for the wedding. Not that we weren’t before – just after Monday it shows that we really have chosen the right photographer. Hope you guys enjoyed it half as much as we did, and we got some great photos.”

Photography by JD Digital Photography

Ms Gingham says: Thanks to Johl for outlining the benefits of an engagement shoot. I absolutely love the idea of making a signature book out of the images … brilliant!”

About Johl: “I love my wife, my new baby daughter Lola, my two crazy dogs, the Melbourne football club, socialising with friends and family, sport of all kinds, tattoos, my job (if you could call it that, my friends think it is a well paying hobby), art in all forms, interesting people and good conversation.”

Learn more about Johl on his blog.

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